The Korea Semiconductor Industry Association marked its 30th anniversary since its founding for the revitalization of the country's semiconductor industry by honoring outstanding contributors to the semiconductor sector and reaffirming its commitment to future development of Korea's semiconductor industry.

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy (Minister Moon Sung-wook) held the '14th Semiconductor Day' commemorative ceremony and 'Korea Semiconductor Industry Association 30th Anniversary' ceremony on the 22nd at COEX in Seoul, attended by approximately 300 participants from industry, academia and research institutions in the semiconductor field, including Industry Minister Moon Sung-wook, Korea Semiconductor Industry Association Chairman Lee Jung-bae (President of Samsung Electronics), SK Hynix President Lee Seok-hee, and others.

The Semiconductor Day was established to commemorate October 1994, when Korea's semiconductor exports first surpassed the USD 10 billion annual mark. Commemorative ceremonies have been held annually in October since 2008; however, this year it was postponed to November in consideration of the COVID-19 situation.

This year's 14th event served as an occasion to encourage and honor outstanding contributors from industry, academia and research institutions who have contributed to the development of the semiconductor industry. In particular, this year is meaningful as it marks the 30th anniversary of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association's founding (November 11, 1991), with the semiconductor industry reaffirming its commitment to new innovation and challenges.

At the event, Minister Moon Sung-wook expressed gratitude for the efforts of Korea's semiconductor industry, which is serving as a reliable pillar of the national economy through exports despite difficulties such as supply chain instability due to COVID-19, and emphasized the need for organic cooperation between the private and public sectors in response to global supply chain restructuring movements.

Minister Moon noted that major semiconductor companies are moving forward with large-scale investments without disruption, and the 'K-Semiconductor Belt' is being rapidly realized, as exemplified by ASML, which monopolizes extreme ultraviolet (EUV) equipment, completing land contracts last week for the establishment of a 240 billion won-scale remanufacturing and training center. He announced the government's commitment to flawlessly implementing the 'K-Semiconductor Strategy' announced in May and actively supporting private investment to establish the world's leading semiconductor supply chain.

He also emphasized the need to focus efforts on cultivating specialized workforce for sustained growth of the semiconductor industry, and announced plans including newly launching a 3,500-person master's and doctoral-level workforce development project through private-public co-investment, establishing a new semiconductor major track of approximately 1,200 students next year, and creating new educational programs focused on in-service employees.

Lastly, while emphasizing the necessity to strengthen the stability of semiconductor supply chains through establishing global partnerships, he mentioned plans to hold 'Korea-US Semiconductor Partnership Dialogue' in December to promote substantive bilateral semiconductor cooperation centered on people, technology, and investment.

On Semiconductor Day, 52 outstanding contributors to the development of Korea's semiconductor industry received government commendations.

Samsung Electronics President Lee Jung-bae received the prestigious Gold Tower Industrial Medal in recognition of his contributions to maintaining the number one market share position in the global memory market. Silver Tower Industrial Medal was awarded to WIK Representative Director Choi Myung-bae, Industrial Commendation was awarded to Wonik IPS Representative Director Lee Hyun-duk, SK Hynix Vice President Lee Sung-jae, and DBI Hightec Vice President Lee Sang-ki.

Subsequently, a total of 52 awards were presented including 3 Presidential Commendations, 4 Prime Minister Commendations, and 40 Ministry of Industry Commendations.

This year's government commendation scale reached a record 52 individuals, and the highest honor was upgraded from silver tower to gold tower compared to last year, reflecting the implementation of expanded government commendation scale and upgraded honors for outstanding contributors to semiconductor industry development included in the 'K-Semiconductor Strategy' announced in May.

Following the commendations for semiconductor contributors, a semiconductor scholarship certificate presentation ceremony, the association's 30th anniversary vision proclamation ceremony, and the association's 30-year history sealing ceremony were held.

The semiconductor scholarship program, aimed at cultivating excellent talent in the semiconductor field, has been operating since 2006, with member companies of the association selecting semiconductor major students and providing 10 million won in scholarships per student. Through this scholarship certificate presentation ceremony, 17 member companies participated and delivered scholarships to a total of 20 students.

Additionally, an 'association vision proclamation ceremony' presenting the association's 2030 vision and strategy, and a 'Korea Semiconductor Industry Association 30-Year History' sealing ceremony commemorating the association's 30th anniversary, were held.